Tainted View
by Sethoz
Summary: When a harmless fantasy turns into a dangerous obsession about Tom Sawyer, every member of the League is a target for a woman who believes she and Tom should be together, in life and in death. But the League are also in danger from a new enemy. -P5-
1. Cover Her Face

**Author's Note: **So here we have it. The start of a new LXG story by me. Just like to say, right now, that even though I will be writing this one, I will not be abandoning '_The Bodyguard'_ (This is so cool, I finally worked out bold, italic etc.).

  


Thanks to everyone who left a review on the trailer of this story. Good to know people wanted to read this. (Sorry, Clez, it's not Becky...) Hope everyone enjoys this.

  


Tainted View.

  


~~~

  


Chapter 1:- Cover Her Face.

  


~~~

  


_America... land of the free. Since July 4th, 1776, when America declared it's independence, it has changed and it has endured._

  


_America believed in freedom. The American civil war proved that, with black people fighting to be equal. And while slavery was indeed abolished after that, for decades afterwards the white people still treated the black people differently._

  


_America was a country of hopes and dreams, where streets were paved with gold and good intentions. It was the country where you could have your own bit of land._

  


_People from all over the civilized world emigrated to the USA. Some came for work, other's came for the gold that had been found in the mountains. Yet more came to America in the aim to escape from Religious prosecution. Christians, Jews, Mormons, even those who did not believe in a God. These people, mainly Mormons, went on to found the state of Utah._

  


_Some of the states became very Christian and formed what some people called 'The Bible Belt'._

  


_The gold rush produced it's own mountain towns and people who became known as 49-ers. The other people who came simply for the chance to work called America 'The land of equal opportunity.'_

  


_And so it was that, at the turn of a new century - 1899 - America was a teaming mix of people each struggling to find their place in the world. _

  


_It was also round about this time that the American Secret Service came into being. It was flooded by young men, eager to prove their worth and to serve their country. Many woman also joined the Service and while they could not go on missions and do daring deeds like the men, they could do their part, at the American Secret Service HQ, at Washington DC._

  


_These women, little more than girls dreamed of action and adventure, little knowing that a danger was coming. Something that wanted to kill them all. Something that could not be stopped by any normal agent. Something... or someone._

  


_The American Secret Service HQ was about to fall..._

  


Every girl in who had an office job in the American Secret Service had a favorite American Agent. During their coffee brakes they would ague over which was better and count up the numbers of missions they had completed. Sometimes a fight would happen if one girl loudly declared 'her' American Agent to be better than any other.

  


In each girl's cubical besides the government issue black typewriter was a photo of their chosen Agent and under it, a list of the missions they had gone on. One girl's cubical was slightly different from the other's. It too had the government issue typewriter but the photo on the wall was torn at the edge as if it had once belonged to a larger picture. The photo was of the American Agent Sawyer.

  


Though they, themselves were blissfully unaware of the fantasying the girls did over them, the American Agents were the movie stars of their day.

  


The main clock on the wall was pointing at five minutes to noon.

  


The five minutes slowly crept past. Most of the girls were busy working, a few talking quietly at the side of the room. Everyone was looking forward to midday, when they would get chance to have some lunch.

  


The big hand ticked towards twelve. As it reached twelve it seemed to take a shuddering breath as if the clock knew what was to happen. 

  


The first warning any of the girls had was the explosion. Many dived under tables, trying to shield their faces. Others ran for the exit's trying to get away from the fires that had sprung up all through the building. Those that managed to escape the burning building were gunned down by hidden snipers in empty buildings on the other side of the road to the fire.

  


In an upstairs room, almost exactly opposite the HQ, a man dressed completely in black, including shinny black boots and gloves watched, letting a low laugh escape. 

  


Everything was going to plan.

  


~~~ 

  


The fire had finally burnt down. Now some American fire fighters moved through the wreckage, hunting and hoping against hope that someone lived. They had found the girls in the street, riddled with bullet holes, their eyes still open. 

  


The less experienced fire fighter had vomited at the sight of so many young dead woman.

  


But it was in the wreck that the worst was found. Girl's burnt alive, their bodies twisted. One was by the exit, her body badly burned. Her face, amazingly enough seemed untouched, the eyes open and unseeing. It was as if the eyes couldn't understand why they could no longer see.

  


The oldest fire fighter turned his head away and shouted for blankets for the dead girl.

  


"Cover her face. For God's sake, cover her face!" He yelled.

  


~~~

  


The _Nautilus_, called the Sword of the Ocean by her Captain plowed through the sea, showing anyone who might have seen her why she had earned her name. Onboard were a group of men and one woman that together created _'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'. _A team of amazing and individual people.

  


One of these was Agent Thomas Sawyer of the American government. He was heading toward the communications room, because one of Nemo's sailors had told him a message had come for him. Tom was mildly curious, he couldn't think who knew that he was onboard and would want to contact him. Unless it was bad news... unless something had happened to someone he cared about.

  


He sped up, and by the time he reached the communications room, he was running. First Mate Patel looked up from his work.

  


"Here you are Sir." He said, handing Tom a folded message. "Private, no-one has read it yet." He added, seeming to know that Tom needed to hear that. Tom Sawyer nodded, took the folded paper and left the room.

  


Outside, he would the corridor empty. With shaking hands he unfolded the paper and read the message, his eyes widening as he did so.

  


In his Captain quarters, Nemo was enjoying a drink of a spicy tea. His rest was interrupted by Agent Sawyer charging into the room, his eyes wide and frenzied.

  


"Captain..." He gasped out. "America asks for our help. Someone blew up the American Secret Service HQ." Tom told Nemo. The Captain looked neither happy or sad at this request. There was no hesitation as he replied.

  


"Of course we will help. We will set out for American at once." he said. Tom's face lit up, as if he had been expecting a negative answer. "Do they have any information on who did it?" Nemo asked.

  


"No." Tom answered. "Only... only that about fifty young woman were killed." 

  


Nemo's only response was a slight tightening of his fingers and the way in which his eyes seemed to burn. Tom looked slightly sick.

  


"They burned to death... any that managed to get out where shot. Someone didn't want these girls to live."

  


TBC...

  


Humm... that's it for the first part. 

  


~Sethoz


	2. Safe House, Indeed!

**Disclaimer: **Yadda, Yadda, Yadda, I don't own LXG. I don't own Tom Sawyer, Mina Hawker, Skinner, Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde or anything else used in the fic, just so we're clear. 

  


Sorry it took so long to be up-dated, there is a long and confusing story, which includes my computer going crazy. I promise, I will up-date sooner, but look, long chapter! :)

  


**Clez:- **Glad you liked part one. :P

  


**Angharad:- **I think we can safely say if Becky was in this, she would die. (So, good thing she's not in it eh?)

  


**A. L. Nowicki:- **Hope it still sounds interesting after this part.

  


**Capt.Cow:- **Don't worry, kicking evil guy butt will happen soon.

  


**Angelic Katty:- **It was nasty, killing all those girls... and he more evil in this part...

  


**LotRseer3350:- **Bitterness towards Mormons? No way! I'm a Donny Osmond fan! ... okay, let's pretend I never wrote that... ;) Though I am a fan of his...

  


**Raven Silvers:- **Woah, **I **scared **You**? Cool!

  


**Just Me:- **Thank you for all the comments. I ran the history bits past a friend of mine before I posted it, who has a degree in American history and he couldn't find anything wrong, so please tell me where I've made the mistakes so I can fix them. And yeah, the girls were pretty thick ;)

  


**Windsinger:- **And I've continued. Enjoy!

  


**Tainted View.**

  


~~~

  


Part 2:- Safe House Indeed!

  


~~~

  


The League reached America in record time. Captain Nemo pushed the _Nautilus_ as hard as he could. During the voyage the Indian could often be found talking to the engines, muttering promises and coxing more power out of his ship, his 'lady'. 

  


Tom spent the voyage pacing up and down his cabin, running his fingers though his tangled hair, trying not to panic. The thought that someone was attacking his home made him feel on edge, labile to snap at the smallest thing. In the hour before they docked at the American port Tom had managed to place himself on the hit list of half of the sailors, by getting underfoot and generally annoying them with his nervous tension. Even the more level headed and calmer of the sailors were reduced to hysterics and threats of Tom disembowelment if he didn't let them do their job. 

  


The rest of the League had remained in there cabins, keeping calm and relaxing. In the last thirty minutes, after Tom had been chased out of the engine room, Tom had stood on the conning tower, watching the fuzzy and dull landscape becoming clear. With agonizing slowness the _Nautilus _eased into the harbor and the ramps opened, to let the League leave. 

  


The League had reached New York, America at last. 

  


They disembarked, Tom at the front, almost bouncing on his heels in his haste to help his country Mina came down the ramp next, a black veil over her face, disrupting her features. Dr. Jekyll was right behind her, rubbing at the skin on his hands. Skinner and Nemo left the _Nautilus _together, the former wearing only his coat and hat. The hat moved to the right and left, letting Tom know that Skinner was looking around. 

  


"I thought someone was meeting us." Skinner said, throwing the question to the rest of the League. 

  


"You thought correctly." A male voice said to their left. A tall thin looking man was standing on the docks, a sneer on his face as if he could not quite believe the company he was expected to meet.

  


"So _you _are the League." The man said, making it sound like an insult. His eyes reached Tom and his mouth twisted, the sneer becoming more clear, his nose twitching. "Agent Sawyer." He said. Tom gave the man a nod and the man turned, walking away from them, his shinny black shoes tapping on the wood.

  


"This way please." He said over his shoulder. Tom shrugged and walked after him, his rifle tossed lightly over his shoulder, his two pistols pressed lightly against his skin. They made Tom feel comfortable and ready for anything. The rest of the League followed. They rounded a corner, walking up to a dull gray building.

  


"In here please." The man said, opening the glass door and gesturing the group in. They entered and the man moved past them to stand in front of them.

  


"My name is Mr. Summers. I will be briefing you on the current situate." He said, his voice toneless. "If you will come in here." He added pushing open a door. Inside was a black table and six metal chairs. The room was devoid of any over furnishing, giving it a rather cheerless look and feel to it. Even Mina was not immune to the cold atmosphere, as she unconsciously pulled her thin silk scarf tighter around her neck. 

  


They all sat down, Tom giving Summers an uneasy look, this was not what he had expected. He had hoped to see his old boss... but there might still be time. Summers passed brown folders to each League member. Nemo flipped open his folder, the whole front page a list of names. By each was the word, "deceased". 

  


"We had fifty-seven girls working in that particular building. They were all murdered by someone we believe is called Roger Noir." Summers said. Tom flipped open his folder, moving past the list. The next page was full of images of the dead girls, though thankful they were only in black and white.

  


"How do you know his name?" Mina asked. Summers rolled his eyes.

  


"Page four." He snapped. Mina opened her folder to the indicated page, Nemo still reading the list of dead girls. Page four was another picture of a dead girl, her top pushed almost up to her breasts. Craved in her stomach was the name, 'Roger Noir'.

  


"Is this all your information on him?" Mina asked. Summers looked slightly put out. 

  


"That, Madam, is something I am not at liability to discuss. I can only tell you that there was an incident about a week ago." He snapped.

  


_~Flashback~_

  


_A group of scientists bent over a metal contraption, all working feverishly. The object was a metal cylinder, long and smooth, with a clear circle of glass at the top. It looked like a cross between a staff and an old fashioned wand. Suddenly one of them gave a shout, a smile lighting up his features. He began to wave his hands to get the rest of the scientists attention._

  


_"I think I've found it!" The man said. He looked up, a huge smile on his face. At that moment, the sound of a crash came to their ears. As the scientists watched, gazing on stupidly, glass flew onto the floor, as windows exploded._

  


_"What is g-"One started to say. He was never destined to finish his sentence however, as at that moment a bullet ripped through his chest. The man looked down at the tiny hole, his fingers probing the area automatically, before looking back up, flecks of blood on his fingers. Then his gaze became cloudy and he dropped to the floor. Behind him stood a man dressed completely in black, from his black boots to his black, wide brimmed hat, which cast a shadow over his face. He slowly removed the hat as he looked around the suddenly silent room, his eyes moving over everyone in a way that made their flesh crawl. Even his face was obscured by a silken black mask which fluttered as the man breathed in and out. His eyes burned with a queer intensity that made the people want to run and hide. _

  


_The man was flanked by more men, all dressed in the same black outfit as their leader. Roger Noir placed his hat back on his head, a slow deliberate signal. The man closest to Noir only had time to start to shout a warning before the bullets riddled his body. _

  


_That was when the slaughter started. It continued until each and every scientist was dead. It seemed that whatever Noir wanted, he didn't need the men to do it. Roger Noir stepped over the dead bodies, giving the odd one a kick to make sure that they were dead. He reached the table and stared at the metal object on it, picking it up and running his fingers along the smooth metal. _

  


_"Sir?" One of his men said, saluting Roger. "All dead." The solider said. Roger nodded and slipped the metal object into his pocket. Then they simply left, melting away as if they had never even been there. _

  


_In the far corner a metal grille attached to an air vent moved slightly. There was some shuffling sound before it fell to the floor and a scared young man peered out, gazing with horror at his dead friends._

  


_~End Flashback.~_

  


Summers sniffed loudly and stared down his long nose at Mina, as if she was dirt on his boots. 

  


"The incident resulted in multiple deaths." He said stiffly and turned away to single that was the end of it. Mina however, remained unconvinced and stood up, her folder slipping to the floor. As it hit the ground, it opened, sending the loose sheets of paper flying.

  


"Was anything taken?" She asked. Summers froze and slowly turned back to her, looking every inch of a regal gentleman.

  


"The only thing taken, Mrs. Harker, was innocent American lives. No papers, no documents or records of any kind, no objects. Nothing." He said. Mina looked unsure but nodded slowly and sat back down, her boots on top of the paper. 

  


Through out all of this, Captain Nemo had remained in his chair, his eyes following the list of the dead girls, as if he was committing every name to memory as a mark of respect. Now he looked up and fixed Summers with his burning black eyes.

  


"You say fifty-seven girls were in that building?" He asked. Summers nodded, his gaze sweeping the room.

  


"That is right. Fifty-seven innocent... American girls." He said, stressing the word American. He clearly wanted this to be finished as soon as possible. Nemo slowly closed his file and leaned back slightly.

  


"There are only fifty girl names on this list." He said calmly. "Where are the other seven?" He asked. The rest of the League looked up at his words, all waiting to see what Summers would say. The American looked more than annoyed.

  


"That is not your concern." He snapped, his fists clenched, the veins in his forehead throbbing. 

  


"All you have to do is locate Roger Noir and bring him back alive to the American government. We will take it from there." He said. Tom stiffened and lowed his head, his blond hair covering his face. Mina looked faintly annoyed.

  


"We are not at the beck and call of the American government." She primly said. 

  


"Agent Sawyer is." Summers replied. "We have allowed Agent Sawyer to remain part of this... _League_ on the sole condition that you would help us what asked. Those were the terms made to Agent Sawyer after the Moritay incident and he accepted. If you refuse to help we will have no choice but to remove him from this team." He snapped. Tom's head sank even lower, a faint reddish tint on his face, as the League looked at him in surprise. They hadn't known about this deal. 

  


"That is enough, Mr. Summers." A low voice said as the heavy doors were pushed open again. A man of about sixty stood there, a black armband around his upper arm, his silver hair shining from reflected light. Mr. Summers nodded and walked out of the room, leaving the League with this newcomer. There was a long pause as the League watched the man, and the man watched Tom. The young American Agent slowly lifted his head to stare right at the new man. 

  


"Tom." The man said, a slow smile creeping across his face.

  


"Mr. Caliban." Tom said grinning. The grin froze, then faltered as he noticed the black armband. A look of shock came into his eyes.

  


"Oh no..." He whispered, grabbing his folder and flipping back to the list of names. His shacking finger ran down the column until he came across the entry he had been looking for;

  


**43. Belinda Caliban. Deceased.**

  


"Oh Sir... I'm sorry..." Tom muttered. Caliban shrugged, a jerky movement.

  


"It's all right Tom." He said, his whole body screaming that it wasn't. The older man turned to the rest of the League.

  


"My name, as you may have guessed is Mr. Caliban. I was one of young Sawyer's teachers when he was training to be an agent. My daughter -" Here he paused, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

  


"My daughter, Belinda was one of the girls killed." He said slowly. "I apologize for Mr. Summers. He is simply young and eager to get ahead in life - he just needs to learn that trampling over people isn't always the best way to do it." He said, giving every member of the League a steady glance - or in Skinner's case, looking in his direction.

  


!We quite understand Mr. Caliban." Mina said, the elected speaker for the League. "And I must extend my sympathies for your loss." She added. Caliban nodded.

  


"What was it you wanted to know?" He asked quietly.

  


"Where are the missing seven girls?" Captain Nemo asked. Caliban sighed, fingering a pocket watch.

  


"Ah yes. Those seven girls were not in the building when the attack took place. We had them moved here, to New York, for their own safety." He said. 

  


"Then we should start by talking to them." Mina said. The rest nodded in agreement. 

  


"Very well... I shall take you there myself." Mr. Caliban said, opening the door with a flourish. The League all stood up and walked through the doors, Tom Sawyer bringing up the rear. Caliban caught his arm as he passed.

  


"It _is _good to see you again Tom." He said. "I was sorry to hear about Huck." He added. 

  


"So was I." Tom said, his voice thick with emotion. 

  


_~~~ _

  


The building which was the American safe house looked drab and unassuming from the outside. Caliban lead the way, the rest of the League right behind him. He reached the wooden door and pushed on it. 

  


It slowly creaked open, the sound ominously loud in the quiet. By the confused and worried expression on Caliban's face, Tom knew that something was very wrong. 

  


"Th-that door shouldn't open like that should it." Dr. Jekyll said. Caliban shook his head, as Mina pulled out her twin daggers. The others quickly armed themselves and crept up the stairs. Nothing moved besides them and the only sound was of Skinner's low breathing. 

  


They reached the top of the stairs and looked around the empty landing. Only one door was open, warm light spilling out of it. They slowly moved towards the door, Tom positioning himself on one side, Caliban on the other. Mina stood in the middle. The rest were a few paces behind, ready to rush in. Mina looked at the two men and nodded. Tom pushed on the door and the three charged in. 

  


At first glance the room seemed empty of people. It was only when they took a closer look that they saw the dead bodies of two young women. Caliban's face paled. 

  


"Too late!" He said in anger as Tom crossed the floor and bent by them, staring at the cold faces. His gaze traveled down to their bodies which were littered with bullets holes. He took a long shuddering breath.

  


"Where are the other five?" Skinner asked, having come into the room after them. "Are they dead as well, in some other room?"

  


"Well, we know that at least one of the girls survived." Sawyer said grimly, standing up from where he had been crouched beside the dead girls, brushing his hands together. Mina looked down at the still bodies, a sudden understanding in her eyes. Caliban and the rest of the League however still looked clueless.

  


"How can you be sure?" Captain Nemo said, his voice cautious. Mina gave a sad smile and pointed at the faces and arms of the dead girls.

  


"Someone closed their eyes and crossed their arms after they were dead." She said in a soft voice, in an attempt to give the bodies peace. Shouting seemed wrong somehow in this place of death.

  


"Roger Noir makes a mockery of the people he has killed." Caliban said, looking at the girls with newfound hope. Beside him Dr. Jekyll gave a small start, as the pieces slotted together for him. Skinner let out a low whistle as he stared at the peaceful looking corpses.

  


"Exactly. Someone closed the eyes out of respect, so that means at least one of the five missing girls are alive... and out there with a madman after them." Tom Sawyer said, using his whole arm to point vaguely at the quiet city. 

  


Then the quiet was shattered with the loud and jagged sound of gunfire as it tore through the streets and buildings.

  


TBC...

  


Now that you've read, please, please leave a review. Every reviewer will receive this lovely virtual masked Roger Noir plushie to injure in any way you wish. *flashes big smile* So, please, please, leave a review!

  


~Sethoz


	3. And Then, There Was Three

**Disclaimer: **Yadda, Yadda, Yadda, I don't own LXG, no matter how much I would love to. I don't own Tom Sawyer, Mina Hawker, Skinner, Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde or anything else used in the fic.

**Clez:- **Evil? I'm hurt.... ; ) Glad you enjoyed it, such a huge review! You're gonna give me a big head! Sorry it took so long to up-date, I was hit with writers block... even though I knew what I wanted to write. Weird.

**Anacalagon:- ***peers under the bed* ... you okay? Intense in a good way right?

**Freedomfighter82:- **Yeah, I don't like Summers either. Your Tommy? My Tommy!!!

**angelic katty:- ***hands over plushie* There you are... uh... *watches stick with a worried look* why don't you use the stick on the plushie... *backs away*

**Capt.Cow:- ***gives plushie* Will the girls be okay? Well, you find out in this part. =) I know, poor Caliban... though it may have been a mistake on Noir's part. 

**Raven Silvers:- **Here you go! *hands over plushie with a smile* ah, Tom and Belinda **do **indeed have a history, but it's not what you think. Close though ;) 

**nobleblue:- **Hope you still like the way this is going after this part. *gives nobleblue a plushie* 

**ElvenArcher:- **We haven't even heard Noir talk yet, so I'm glad someone finds him interesting. Would you like a Skinner and a Roger Noir one? *offers two* 

**LotRseer3350:- **A review of my very own? *eyes well up with happiness* You're too kind! I'm kind you're enjoying this, you like _everything _you've read of mine? *shocked look* Wow... up-dated right now!

Now, without any more ado, the story...

**Tainted View.**

~~~

Part 3:- And Then, There Was Three

~~~

The League and Agent Caliban left the building in one mad rush, spilling through the doorway and out into the street. The last person - Nemo - closed the door slowly behind them, blocking the view of the inside from anyone passing. Now that they were outside the little group paused and looked at each other, unsure of what to do next. The gunfire had stopped now, leaving them with no clue to follow. The remaining girls could be anywhere in the whole city with Roger Noir after them. Tom shifted his position slightly, resting on the balls of his feet, ready to move in an direction at the hint of a sound. Caliban was scanning the area around them when he suddenly gave a cry and darted into a side ally, a dark bundle just visible from the main street. The League hurried after him, Dr. Jekyll in the lead, Nemo bringing up the rear. 

Agent Caliban was crouched over the dead body of another girl, dried blood caked over the still body. It was clear from the injuries that this girl had not gone without a fight. There were stab wounds all over her body, long gashes down her side. Uttering an oath of anger Caliban raised his head to met the eyes of the rest.

"She was one of the girls." He said shortly before looking down at the girl and frowning slightly. Caliban reached down and lifted the dead girl's left hand. It was curled up into a tight fist, something light just sticking out. Carefully the older American pulled the cold hand open and stared at the item the girl had been holding when she died. A few tuffs of short blond hair, blood at the end. 

"She must have grabbed at her attacker." Nemo said, staring at the hair. Caliban nodded in agreement. Jekyll had taken a few steps backwards at the first sight of the girl, bowing his head and squeezing his eyes tightly closed. Inside Hyde was laughing at the dead body, enjoying the thought of going after other girls and what he would do to them.

"No..." Jekyll muttered. Mina turned her head to look at the doctor. Jekyll looked up at her, his eyes wide, his gaze unsteady.

"I... I don't think I will be any more help here..." He swallowed hard. "Hyde has some interesting ideas on how he could help those girls and I don't think I would be able to stop him..." His hands shook as he met the sympathetic and understanding gaze of the other members of the League.

"I will wait for you abroad the _Nautilus_... you may need my help when you return..." He said. 

"Very Dr. Jekyll." Nemo answered. Jekyll smiled weakly then turned and hurried off. Caliban slipped his hands under the girls body and lifted her up.

"I should take her back to the HQ... the police would be no help here, we know who did this. Her parents will want her body..." He trailed off, blinking back tears, remembering his own daughters body.

"Very well." Mina said. "We will inform you of what we discover." She added. Agent Caliban nodded and began the sad trek back to HQ, carrying the girl gently in his arms. Gunfire started over the city again, short little burst coming from all directions. 

"We should split up, the gunfire comes from more than one part of the city, we will be able to cover more ground that way." Mina said, effortlessly taking control. She turned to Nemo and Skinner.

"You two take the east side of the city, Agent Sawyer and myself will take the west side." She said, her tone offering no room for augments. Tom was still staring after Caliban, who had now turned the corner, a lost expression on the young American's face. Skinner moved next to Mina and whispered in her ear.

"You going to talk to him darling?" He asked. Mina nodded once, her face a perfect mask, betraying nothing of how she really felt. Skinner clapped his hands together and moved towards Nemo.

"Come on mate, let's try and find us some girls." He said and the two headed east. Mina placed a hand on Tom's shoulder and he jumped, spinning round to face her, a surprised expression on his face. 

"What is it?" He asked. 

"We should head west and try and locate the remaining girls before this Roger Noir does." Mina said softly. Tom nodded, running a hand through his disheveled locks.

"How many are still alive?" He asked. 

"Four, Agent Sawyer." Mina replied. Tom nodded again and the two set off, moving like ghosts of shadows through the slumbering city. The two members of the League were quiet, each occupied with their own thoughts. 

"Why did you not tell us about this deal you made with your government Agent Sawyer?" Mina suddenly asked. Tom shrugged and stared at the buildings and roads in front of him, suddenly finding the empty streets _very interesting._

"Agent Sawyer?" Mina repeated, her tone curious. 

"What do you want me to say?" Tom snapped, feeling angry for some reason, holding his modified Winchester so tightly that his fingers turned white. 

"They wanted to recall me. I managed to convince them - just managed to convince them, mind you - that I would be more use with the League than back in America." He added, his gaze looking anywhere but Mina's face. The female Vampire stopped and placed a delicate hand on Tom's arm. 

"You should have told us." She said softly. Tom hung his head, a reddish tint coming to his face.

"... I was worried you would say no..." He admitted. Mina froze then removed her hand.

"I thought you knew us better than that." Mina said, walking again. Tom walked next to her, not knowing what to say. How could he explain to her the confusion he had felt in those few days after Allan's death? How could he explain the paranoia, the feeling that the League wanted any chance to get rid of him even though he knew it wasn't true. How could he explain that it was all those thoughts and more that led him to make the deal in secret. 

"You knew Agent Caliban's daughter." Mina stated instead of asking. Tom looked sideways at her, his hair obscuring his view of the woman. Mina seemed to have decided to leave the topic of the deal for another time - something that made Tom very happy. On the down side, it appeared that she had chosen another painful topic to talk about.

"Yes, I knew her." Tom said slowly. Mina didn't reply, content to let the silence enclose them, trapping them under it's weight. Finally Tom couldn't stand it any longer and began to talk in a dreamy voice, trying to separate the story he was telling from himself, trying to detach his own feelings from it.

"Do you remember I told you about another Agent, who was killed by the Fantom?" Tom asked. Mina nodded and Tom carried on. 

"Agent Huckleberry Finn. We moved to New York at the same time and began to train to become agents together. We had the same mentor - Agent Caliban. It was weird you know? Me and Huck were used to a small town and the now here we were in New York, studying to become Agents and serve our country. The other men training came from more posh parts of America - we were the only two with Southern accents. They kinda left us alone and didn't talk to us." Tom said, a hint of bitterness creeping into his voice. The pain of those snubs was still fresh in his mind, Tom was used to having many friends and being popular and instead all he had was Huck.

"It was about three months after we came here that the two of us first met Belinda Caliban. Her father had got her a desk job in the service and she come to spend a few months training before taking up the post. She was so pretty... long blond hair and laughing brown eyes..." Tom trailed off, frowning into the distance.

"Surprisingly enough she talked to me and Huck. I dunno why she deiced too but... it was the best thing that happened to us. After she started talking to us, the other boys in the course slowly warmed up to us. Agent Caliban had already taken an interest in the both of us and we soon became his favorite pupils. Something I still have trouble believing." Tom smiled wistfully and Mina remained silent, not wanting to disturb the moment. The small smile faded from Tom's face as he took a deep breath and carried on talking.

"I could see what was going to happen, though Huck and Belinda both seemed oblivious to it. Those two were prefect for each other and after a bit of planning and a helpful storm, they saw that as well and started to date each other. It was great, those two were so happy together and I was happy for the two of them. Even after Belinda finished her training and left New York, the two wrote and visited each other every chance they could get. I remember the day we became Agents - Belinda had spent a whole day on a train, just to see those few minutes. It... it was like a dream." Tom looked down at his rifle then at Mina for the first time since he started this story.

"You know the rest of this story." He said, his hand twitching slightly. "Huck and I were sent on a mission to track and stop the Fantom. It... ended badly and Huck died. I went after the Fantom as soon as I buried Huck - I never saw Belinda again. She should have been safe damnit!" Tom yelled, his voice bouncing off the walls. He laughed bitterly.

"So yes Ma'am... I did know her." He said in a slightly mocking tone, using Mina's title instead of her name. Mina wisely deiced not to answer.

The two fell silent again, Tom's mind unwillingly going back over memories he thought he had locked away long ago. Memories of Huck, Belinda and himself, all talking together, eating out together. Sometimes Tom would make some excuse and leave early, to give the two lovebirds some time together. The the whole Fantom business had happened and while Becky Thatcher hadn't wanted to hear about it or even talk to Tom, Belinda had clung to the remaining agent, crying hard. She was the only person Tom had told about his intention to go after the Fantom, and while she was worried that she would loose Tom as well, in the end she had supported his choice, knowing how much Huck meant to Tom. Huck had meant a lot to Belinda as well. 

And now they were both dead... Tom vowed there and then, even as he walked silently next to Mina, that he would avenge Belinda's death. 

Two sounds broke through Tom's dark thoughts at exactly the same time, bringing him back to the present situation. Gunfire and a loud scream tore through the silence, each coming from opposite sides of a long road. Tom and Mina sped up, looking at each other once and giving each other a nod before splitting up, Tom racing left, towards the gunfire, his own Colt pistols at the ready. The scream had come from the other direction and it was that sound that Mina followed, using her bats to speed up the journey. Half of the street lights were not working, giving the whole street a ghostly, eery feel to it and making it impossible to see far in front.

~~~ 

Skinner and Nemo had split up as well and now the invisible thief was completely and utterly lost, wandering the back streets. He hadn't heard gunfire for nearly ten minutes ago and Skinner had no idea how to find his way back to the _Nautilus._ He rounded a corner grumbling softly to himself then ducked back out of sight. A few feet away from him stood a girl, blond hair being blow by the light breeze. At the other end of the small street stood a man dressed black, a large black gun held in his hands. The two people faced each other, a manic smile on the man's face. The young woman took a step backwards, as the man took a step forward.

Skinner had clearly found one of the missing girls.

Cursing silently, Skinner pulled off his coat and trilby, then wiped away his face before darting out of his hiding place and grabbing the young woman, ducking out of the way of the bullets flying in his direction. He dragged her along one of the many side roads and she followed, numb with shock at being saved by someone she couldn't see. Gunfire sounded behind them and Skinner pushed her sideways, into a tiny allay until they were against a wall. The two held their breath as the man ran past the alley and turned the corner ahead of them. Skinner sagged in relief and turned to face the girl - only to be rewarded by a hard slap.

"Hey!" Skinner exclaimed. "Easy on the goods darling. I'm here to help... you are one of those American lasses working for the American government right?" He asked. The girl raised a hand to slap him again and froze, her eyes weary.

"I'm here to help. Let me get my stuff and I'll prove it to you. Name's Rodney Skinner by the way." Skinner said, leading the girl back the way they had come and picking up his coat. The girl watched him silently then sighed and hugged herself, seeming to have come to the decision that she had no choice but to trust him.

"My name is Rachel." She said.

~~~ 

Tom raced around the corner, the gunfire stopping suddenly. He cursed and forced his tired limbs to move faster, gasping hard to get the oxygen into his lungs. He rounded another corner and stopped his hands on his knees, panting hard. There was no sign of anyone and Tom had no idea where to look next. The sound of gunfire had differently come from around here though and Tom straightened back up, scanning the area. He was standing in some sort of courtyard, with four paths leading off it, including the one Tom had come from.

"Damn!" He swore, looking at each of the three choices in turn. How was he supposed to know which one to chose? A wet substance on a post by the closest entrance drew his attention and, as he stepped closer, he realized with a sinking feeling, it was blood.

Tom jogged down that path, his rifle armed and ready. He didn't have to get very far. Roughly one hundred feet down the path he came across the just breathing form of a red haired girl. She was dressed in soft browns, which were slowly being stained by her own blood. Tom skidded down on his knees by her, pulling off his duster and dropping his weapon in his haste.

"Can you hear me?" He asked, trying to stop the bleeding from the single shot wound in the stomach. The pale skinned girl opened brown eyes and stared up at him. He managed a weak smile, still appalling pressure on the wound.

"It's okay, you're going to be okay, just relax." He said. The girl smiled faintly and weakly moved her head in a negative monition.

"...No..." She rasped. "I'm not... too much blood." She made a chocking sound, taking a shuddering breath.

"You... find my twin..." She said, her hand catching at Tom's arm. He stared at her, his expression a mixture of pity and disbelief.

"No, I'm going to help you." He said. The girl closed her eyes.

"Help my sister... you help me that way... she... she's alive last time I saw her... Te-tell her... I lo-" Her voice trailed off and she made a gargling sound, blood forming up out of her mouth. Her eyes snapped open and she gasped in pain, before the light faded forever from her brown orbs. Tom froze then slowly removed his hand from the wound, bowing his head.

He didn't even know her name.

~~~ 

Captain Nemo was also lost, though he couldn't bring himself to admit it. He moved purposely though the dark streets, searching for either the other League members or one of the American girls or even just the sight of water which would give him some indication of where he was. A scream sounded and a girl burst into view, breathing hard, tears running down her face. She skidded to a stop as she saw Nemo, her chest heaving, her eyes darting left and right. The young woman with her bronze skin and curly dark hair looked like she was about to collapse from sheer tiredness.

"Who are you?" She asked, in a rich tone, taking a step towards Nemo, her eyes scanning his face for honesty or lies. The Indian bowed to the young lady.

"My name is Captain Nemo. I am helping the American government and looking for the surviving girls from a fire and who were then brought here." Nemo told her. The girl's lips tightened together and she bowed her head.

"I'm one of those girls. I was with another girl, Rachel, but I've lost her..." The girl muttered, bewildered. Nemo moved closer to the girl and looked into her eyes. He saw pain and confusion there - and an all encompassing tiredness.

"I have other people looking, they will find her, don't worry." Nemo said, leading the girl away. She followed him meekly. "What is your name?" The Captain added. The girl stared at him for a long second.

"... Gemma." She whispered.

~~~ 

The scream sounded again as Mina landed at the end of a short street. A red haired girl - completely identical to the one Tom had found, though, Mina had no way of knowing this - was struggling with a black clothed man, each fighting to reach a gun. Mina ran forward ripping the man out of the girl's hand and snapping his neck in one single monition. The gun clattered to the ground as Mina dropped the still warm corpse. The young woman faced Mina, her brown eyes wide before screaming loudly and turning to run.

"Wait!" Mina called, running after the girl and easily catching her. "I'm here to help you." She said, in the calmest tone she could muster. The red head looked at her, the suspicion clear on her face. Before the two could stay anything else Tom staggered into the road, the body of the other girl wrapped din his long duster, dried tears on his face.

"Robin? No!" The other girl screamed, tearing herself from Mina and running towards Tom. The Agent looked up as she reached him, and froze, staring at the other girl.

"...Robin..." The living twin said, tears running down her face. "What did you do to her you monster!" She screamed, hitting out at Tom. He was too stunned to even think about fighting back as she screamed at him.

"That is enough!" Mina yelled, pulling the still sobbing girl away from Tom. "Agent Sawyer did nothing to her, except find her." She said and the girl collapsed. Mina looked at Tom.

"What happened?" She asked. Tom looked down at the dead girl.

"...I was too late. By the time I found her she was dying. I tried to stop the bleeding but it was too late." Tom said softly. He looked at the huddled girl.

"She asked me to help you. She said... she said she loved you." Tom said, finishing the sentence Robin had been trying to say. The other girl raised her head and looked at Tom, before standing up and blinking a few times.

"My name is Dove." She sniffed softly. "Thank you for being with her at the end..."

~~~ 

It was a sorry group that found themselves on the docks, waiting for Skinner, Nemo and hopefully the other two missing girls. Dove was sitting on the ground, staring at the dead body of her twin in shock. Tom had placed her carefully on the ground and was now standing a few feet away with Mina, watching Dove but at the same time trying to giver her a little privacy to mourn her sister. 

At that moment Skinner and Rachel came into view, the blond girl braking into a run the moment she saw Dove. The two hugged and talked quietly, Dove crying on Rachel's shoulder. Nemo and Gemma were a few minutes behind them, the Indian almost carrying the young woman.

"Here we all are then." Skinner said, looking at the three living girls. "We are here to keep you safe from Roger Noir until we capture him." The girls didn't look too impressed.

"No offense, but we've seen over fifty of our friends killed by that manic and his followers. How can you stop him?" Dove said, her eyes still red though she had stopped crying for now.

"We have our ways... such as our transport, which is safer than any building." Tom said, pointing out towards the still water.

"You expect us to be safe from this Noir guy on some sort of boat?" Rachel asked in disbelief. Skinner shook his head.

"It travels on water if that is what you mean." Skinner said, in a mocking accent of Nemo. "And beneath it." He said grandly sweeping his arm towards the sea. Nemo stepped forward, looking ever so slightly put out, perhaps annoyed that Skinner had stolen his thunder.

"Behold." Nemo said, as the giant monster that was his pride and joy began to rise up out of the water. "The _Nautilus_, the sword of the ocean." The three girls could only stand and stare as the massive submarine rose out of the water and rested gently against the dock. 

"Waoh." Gemma said, summing up everything the three felt in that single word.

TBC...

Hope you all enjoyed this part and will leave a review on your way out :) *smiles hopefully*

~Sethoz


	4. Passive Aggressive

**Disclaimer: **Blah, Blah, Blah I don't own LXG, no matter how much I would love to. I don't own Tom Sawyer, Mina Hawker, Skinner, Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde. I do own the baddies, the other American Agents and the girls. Glad someone is still reading this and so sorry it took so long to up-date! Hope everyone likes this part. The title is from a Placebo song. 

**Clez:-** Well, you could **not** leave a review by... ah, not leaving a review ;) Glad you liked it all and a slight homage to Jack Sparrow? How ever did you spot that? =) Anyway, hope you like this part.

**Tannash:-** Aww, thanks, you're so nice! Here's the next part, enjoy!

**LotRseer3350:- **Yes, I have a feeling that Tom's relationship with his mentor may become more important in later parts... *grins*

**Angel32:- **You've been to my website??? *Is now amazingly happy* Glad you enjoyed it, I've really got to start working on my 'Coming Soon' ones. [Everyone else, I have a LXG website! You can reach it via my bio.] Thanks for the review :D

**devilburns:- **And here's some more.

**Silver_Eagle: Jessie_West:- **I've updated as soon as I could. Here's hoping you like this part as much as the other chapters.

**Mrs. Sawyer:- **How about now? Is this soon enough to update? 

And now, without any further ado...

**Tainted View.**

~~~ 

Part 4:- Passive Aggressive

~~~ 

The room was only dimly lit by the soft glow of two lamps. However, the person in the cabin had no need for brighter light when the muted light had the wanted effect. The young woman sat on a hard backed chair, her head bent over a wooden desk as she scribbled something with a thick black pen. 

A low muttering could be heard coming out of the woman's mouth, thought the tone was so filled with rage and the voice twisted with so much anger, that it was impossible to even recognize the voice as one that belonged to a female. She kept up a continuos stream of hate filled words, as she savagely stabbed at the paper she was writing on with her black pen.

"... Seen the way he looks at her. The tart, trying to steal my Tom away from me. She's nothing more than a whore dressed up, what with her flaunting her body in front of him until he doesn't know where to turn. It's not his fault though, it's all hers. I guess I'll just have to teach her a lesson, show her what happens when she messes with my man..." A shrill hysterical laugh escaped from her mouth as she dropped the pen onto the desk and let it roll away from her.

Nodding in satisfaction at her work, the woman picked up the paper and turned it towards the nearest lamp, admiring her artwork. The paper was, in fact, a photo. A photo of Mina Harker, taken by the American government for their records and stolen by this woman for her own twisted reasons. The image, however, was hardly recognizable as the Immortal Vampire. Holes had been gouged in it, black pen scribbled all over it. It looked crude, something a child would do, but the underlining feeling was only too clear. 

Hate.

There was a knock at the door and the young woman quickly hid the image at the back of one of her draws before slipping her mental mask of sanity over her her face, trying to change her face back to normal. With a sly smile, the young American stood up and headed towards the door where one of Nemo's sailors was waiting for her.

~~~ 

"There must be some reason why Roger Noir is after these girls." Mina insisted, Tom nodding his head in agreement with her. The League were standing in the conference room, trying to form some plan or discover the reasoning behind the attacks. Five hours had passed since the girls had first entered the _Nautilus_, each being taken to cabins for some rest. A few minutes ago, Nemo had sent out three of his sailors to each collect a girl and bring them here in the hope of getting some answers.

Gemma entered first, her brown clear eyes instantly fixing on Tom. She then scanned the rest of the room before returning her cool gaze on the other American. 

"Be careful what you say to Dove, she's still hurting, and you would only make it worse." She said in her rich American accent. Tom nodded. Sighing slightly, Gemma raised a hand to her eyes and rubbed at them, still feeling very tired but unable to sleep, the confusion and fear still buzzing around her head. 

It was at this moment, the Dove chose to enter, pausing at the doorway, her pale arms wrapped around her body, her red hair hanging limply from her head, the slight wave in it gone completely. Her eyes were still red from crying - though the look in them was distant and blank. She was clearly still in some kind of shock. Nemo and Jekyll exchanged glances before the latter moved forward and cautiously placed a hand on the young woman's arm. She flinched slightly but other than that, Dove gave no reaction. 

"Dove? Dove, it Gemma, come on honey, talk to me." Gemma pleaded, moving towards her friend. Dove seemed to snap out of her daze slightly and she stared at Gemma before sighing slightly and lowering her eyes, stepping further into the room. Rachel entered a second later, her slumped shoulders and facial expression giving her the appearance of a defeated woman. She silently moved over to stand next to Gemma, Dove hovering on the other side of Gemma. It was clear to the watching League that Gemma was the oldest - in maturity if nothing else. The other two girls seemed to look to her for advice and stayed close to her for comfort. The three girls sat down in the chairs they were offered; Gemma again flanked by the other two. Dove started to twist at a ring on her finger while Rachel stared at the floor.

"Can you think of any reason why this Roger Noir is after you?" Tom asked at last, unable to stand the silence any longer. The girls looked at each other and shrugged before Gemma answered.

"We have no idea...?" She trailed off, clearly wanting to know the young American's name.

"It's Agent Sawyer Ma'am." Tom said. Gemma nodded, a slight frown on her face. Rachel's head snapped up, a spark of interest in her blue eye as her eyes swept Tom from head to foot. Then she turned to Gemma and whispered something in her ear. The dark haired woman listened with interest at what the younger woman was saying before glancing over at Tom.

"Rachel says that you are the Agent who stopped the Fantom?" Gemma said. The wording made it sound like a statement, but the lilt at the end made it clear it was a question. Tom tried to answer, but found himself unable to do so in words and so had to make do with a brisk nod of the head. He still found it hard to talk about the Fantom, even after eight months. Tom was starting to have a nagging feeling that he wasn't dealing with what happened in Mongolia - and before - as well as he could be. He quickly pushed that thought away, preferring to ignore his problems in the hope that they would then cease.

"We can't help you!" Dove suddenly screamed. "Don't you think we would if we could? We can't help you..."

"Because we don't know what Noir wants." Rachel said, finishing Dove's sentence. The pale skinned girl looked at Rachel for a few moments before giving a small nod, a tear escaping from her face.

"Yeah... we don't know..." Dove muttered, looking down at the table. The League looked at each other.

"I think we are all still a bit tied." Gemma announced, looking at the other two girls for support. "Could we go back to our cabins Captain?" she added. There was a tiny, almost un-noticeable pause, then Nemo nodded at the three sailors who had brought the girls.

"Of course, Miss. Gemma." He said politely. "My sailors will take you back to your cabins, it is very easy to get lost at first on the _Nautilus._" He said, managing to make it seem like getting lost on his vessel was some kind of honor. The three girls quietly stood up and left the room. When the door had closed behind the last girl Mina spoke up.

"Did anyone else get the feeling that those girls are being less than truthful to us?" She asked. 

"There **was** something funny in the way they were acting." Skinner said, bobbing his hat up and down. Jekyll and Nemo both made noises to show they agreed. That only left Tom, who was sitting silently in his chair, a distant look in his eyes. It was with a great effort - or so it seemed to Mina and the rest - that Tom pulled himself back into the present.

"Pardon?" He asked, a blank look on his face as he looked at the other members of the League. Mina sighed lightly. 

~~~ 

The _Nautilus_ rose to the surface, braking through the water and resting gently against the dock. Captain Nemo had deemed it necessary to keep the submarine submerged while the girls were aboard for their own safely and was now only rising as Tom had insisted on reporting to Agent Caliban. Mina frowned at Tom's insistence but didn't say anything. 

_//Can we really trust Caliban? How did Noir know where to go for the girls... and why is he after them?\\ _These and many other thoughts ran around Mina's head. True Agent Caliban's own daughter had died herself but who knew what drove men like the Fantom and Noir to do what they do? However, she didn't pursue the matter with any other League members, as she had no evidence. It could just be Mina herself was paranoid.

A hatch opened in the _Nautilus_ and Tom strode down the ramp, the rest of the League trailing behind him. For now, it was best to stick together, at least, until they properly found out what they were up against.

~~~ 

"We have to tell them the truth!" Dove hissed, her eyes straying to the closed door where three sailors were standing, on the other side. Rachel looked uncertain and shrugged her shoulders, chewing at her bottom lip. Gemma stared at them both, a hard look in her eyes.

"We can't Dove. You know we can't. If we did... you know what will happen if any more people find out." She said calmly. Dove laughed bitterly.

"Yes, I know. They will die, just like everyone else dies!" She spat out, the words sounding ugly, when they came from her delicate mouth. 

"Dove, calm down." Rachel pleaded. Dove glared at her friend but relaxed slightly. Gemma was still watching Dove, a curious expression on her face.

"Promise you won't tell them." She said suddenly. "This is more important than our own lives, you know that, otherwise you wouldn't have agreed to do what you are doing." Dove's mouth fell open and she began to twist at the ring on her finger before sighing and answering in a low, defeated tone.

"Fine. I promise I won't tell them."

~~~ 

Roughly five minutes away from the docks a young man was walking through the empty streets of New York. He strode through the darkness, his black clothes blending his whole body perfectly with the shadows that were attached to the buildings. The man turned sharply into an ally and placed a gloved black hand on his silk mask.

"Noir?" A voice said from the back of the ally. A long haired, greasy faced man materialized out of the darkness. "Oh, good, it is you. I have the information you wanted." The man said. Noir lifted a hand to the man and shook his head.

"You already know, don't you?" The newcomer said. Roger Noir nodded and if the mask wasn't covering his face, it would have been possible to see the cruel smile on his face.

~~~ 

The League were all standing in front of what had once been the New York HQ of the American Secret Service. But no longer. The building was now only a shell of what it had once been, burnt timbers lying on the ground and black ash sprinkled around the area in large clumps. The shock and disbelief on Tom's face as he stared at the burnt out building was mirrored on the faces of the rest. There was a sound behind them and both Tom and Jekyll turned, the former pulling out his twin Colt's as he moved and aiming at them where the sound had originated from. They peered into the darkness of the shadows as the sound came again, a sound of shuffling sound, accompanied by a harsh, wheezing sound. 

Tom slowly took a step forward and his eyes widened slightly, blinking as he stared at the thing in front of him in horror. Behind him he heard Dr. Jekyll give a gasp.

"My God..." The Doctor whispered, his face drained of all color. 

TBC...

Please leave a review and let me know what everyone thought of this part. Boring? Exciting? Good? Bad? Somewhere in between? 

~Sethoz


	5. Fire and Brimstone

**Disclaimer:- **I am so sorry about the long wait with this, there is no real excuse. Got stuck with writers block but it finally went and I was able to write this. Hopefully I will be able to update this more regulatory. anyway, I don't own anything but my own ideas and even so, I'm sure someone has already thought of them... Here are the shout outs;

**Melanie:- **Thanks for pointing that out, so silly of me! _::Blushes::_

**Clez:- **The end wasn't that good... was it? Please don't explode! _::Ducks and hides, just in case.::_ Exploding would be baaaaaaad...

**Quicksilver19:-** Sorry this took so long, hope it was worth the wait.

**SilverEagle:JessieWest:- **Sorry, I didn't realize it was that big of a cliffhanger... anyway, here is the next part!

**Crystal:- **_::Evil Grin::_Well, you're just going to have to hold on a little longer, as the suspense isn't going to end. As for the silk mask, I'm not really sure. It just seems so much better than a solid, inflexible one.

**LotRseer3350:-** Yes, Tom's 'admirer' is one of the girls they rescued. Which means it could be Dove, Rachel or Gemma. But which? You'll just have to wait and see. Gah, spelling... bane of my :- Beg no longer ;)

**Devilburns:-** Glad you're finding it cool!

**Scifirogue:-** Well, one of the girls is evil – or insane, obsessed about Tom. Possibly the first fan girl ;) But I've already decided which one it is, so you'll just have to wait and see... hopefully Dove won't die.

**Hoshii-chan:-** and here is the next part, which may just give you more questions...

**Zayina:- **Sorry, I did. Hopefully this ending won't be as bad.

**DJ TammyKat:-** I up-dated! Does this mean you'll be my friend now?

And now...

_**Tainted View**_

**Chapter 5:- Fire and Brimstone**

Tom took a cautious step forward, glass shattering under his boots as he stared at the burnt man in front of him. Behind him Nemo closed his eyes, muttering a quiet, almost silent prayer to his Gods. Tom took another step forward, pity and horror mixing in his eyes. The hideous lump of flesh moved, two bright blue eyes suddenly peering intently at the group in front of the burnt building. This clear sign of life seemed to brake the spell that was holding Dr. Jekyll frozen in place and with a mumbled oath he moved swiftly forward. The creature – for it was only vaguely recognizable as human, lifted what had once been an arm, pieces of glass stuck in the flesh, even as it sank to the ground.

"Please..." It gurgled, the word slightly distorted by the injuries. "...Kill... me..." It begged. Dr. Jekyll had reached the man by now and bent down by him, helplessly scanning the man and making a mental note of the many injuries. The man had suffered burns all over his body, rather like Skinner had suffered in Mongolia. Unlike Skinner however, this man had clearly been in contact with the flames for much longer and as a result some of the flesh had melted, causing odd shapes and destroying the form of the man. It was a miracles that the man was conscious and alive at all – though Dr. Jekyll was forced to admit to himself that there was very little he could do for the man. If he lived, which did not seem likely, he would would likely look this way for the rest of his life.

"What happened?" Tom asked, reaching the hurt man and bending down as well, offering him a smile to try and reassure him. The injured man's eyes fixed on Tom and a faint light seemed to appear in the fading eyes.

"Agent Sawyer?" He croaked. Tom blinked and exchanged a look with Dr. Jekyll then nodded. The man carried on. "We had no warning... the fire... it consumed... Caliban and Summers were in... inside..." he trailed off, gasping frantically for breath through his ruined throat. Tom sat back on his hunches, a shocked look on his face.

"Agent Caliban was inside? No..." He muttered to himself. The dying man nodded once, twice, painfully. Dr. Jekyll tried to turn him slightly, to check his sides and back, but the man waved him away.

"Doesn't matter..." He muttered, coughing harshly. The light started to fade away from his eyes and he gave a gasp, his body jerking. A faint trail of blood dribbled out of his mouth and the eyes slid shut, his whole body going limp.

There was an uneasy silence as Dr. Jekyll carefully lay the dead man down on the ground. Tom remained on his hunches, his elbows resting on his knees, as he stared into space, the shocked look still visible in his eyes. He couldn't believe it, Caliban, his mentor, his friend. Dead. Dead like so many others. Sometimes, Tom had the feeling he was cursed, and that people around him were doomed to die. Huck. Allan. Belinda. And now Caliban. How many more of his friends was he going to loose?

Shaking his head, causing his hair to fall in disarray around his face, Tom rose to his feet in one, easy monition. He pushed the negative and self-pitying thoughts away and sighed deeply.

"We should get back to the _Nautilus_. Check on the girls and discuss this... latest turn of events away from anyone who could hear us." Tom said softly.

"What about him?" Nemo asked, gesturing to the dead body. Tom gazed down at him, shadows obscuring his face. Mina silently stepped forward, looking round at everyone.

"We have no choice but to leave him... the American government are better equipped to handle him and by moving him we do him no good." She told them. Slowly, in an almost defeated manner, the League began to head back to the _Nautilus._

_:::_

Dove paced back and forth in the room she had been given, twisting the ring on her finger as she did so. Her gaze darted nervously to the door, where she knew the sailor would be standing guard. Oh, the League said it was for her protection and her protection only but the young woman wasn't sure she believed that. She wasn't even sure if she believed Agent Sawyer's story that he had found Robin when she was dieing. Oh, Gemma and Rachel thought he was telling the truth and could be trusted, but obviously he couldn't be trusted enough, otherwise they would have told the League everything, instead of the half truths.

She sat down on the bed, wrapping her arms around her thin body as she desperately tried to force back the chocking sobs that threated to overwhelm her. Robin was dead. Her twin, her other half. Gone... forever. Tears formed in her eyes before spilling out and trailing down her pale cheeks. Dove shot off her bed and ran to the door, suddenly stuck by a feeling of claustrophobia. She had to get out, out of this room and off this vessel. She pulled roughly on the handle, yanking the door open and running past the startled sailor. She ran blindly, trusting to luck as she darted round corners, hoping that she wouldn't run into anyone or find herself trapped in a dead end. Her path led her past first Gemma's room and then Rachel's. Both girls opened their doors as she ran past, a confused look on their faces. That soon turned to alarm however and they ran after her.

Finally, her chest heaving, Dove found herself on the metal ramp. She didn't pause to ask herself why there was no sailor guarding the entrance or even why the _Nautilus _was above the water. Gasping in relief she half ran, half stumbled down the ramp, her feet touching solid ground – right into the waiting hands of Roger Noir.

He was dressed in black as usual and there was a intake of breath from under his silk mask as he reached out and grabbed the terrified girl by the throat. She screamed, the sound being cut off mid way as Roger lifted her by the throat. Dove gasped, kicking out, her feet just touching the smooth fabric of clothing, belonging to the unfortunate sailor that had been assigned to guard the ramp. He lay on his back, his mouth half open, his dull gaze staring up at Dove. Around his chest was blood, a mixture of shining bright red and drying duller red. By Roger Noir's side, a second man appeared, his cold limp eyes staring at the struggling girl with disinterest.

As Rachel and Gemma ran down the ramp, Roger tossed Dove to the ground where she remained, holding her body from falling completely to the ground by resting on her palms.

"Ah... so good of you to come out where I can find you." The voice was low and silky, the words spoken with a faint French accent that exaggerated some of the sounds. Roger took a step forward, placing his boot of Dove's back and pushing down, forcing her to the ground with a whimper.

"Leave her alone!" Gemma cried, sounding more brave that she felt. One of the sailors turned and ran inside, no doubt to alert the rest of the crew. The remaining two stepped forward, hands reaching for swords. The greased faced man with dead eyes tutted and pulled out a gun.

"Now, now." He said chillingly, pointing the barrow of the weapon straight at Dove's head. "None of that. You remove those weapons and put them on the ground or this pretty little red head gets a bullet through the brain." With great reluctance the two men did as they were told. From her view point on the ground, Dove gave another little whimper as the swords clattered on the ground. The second man bent down by the scared girl, the gun still pointed at her head.

"Oh don't worry." He said, a cruel smirk on his face. "You'll be with your sister soon enough..."

"Mark." The single word was spoke very softly by Roger but at once the man now known as Mark cringed and stood up. Nobody heard the faint sound of bare flesh on pavement as something moved closer to the little group of three. Mark's eyes flickered to Roger who's head was still bent, looking down at the girl trapped under his boot.

"Boss?" He asked. Roger slowly lifted his head and nodded, removing his boot. Instantly Dove started to try and wiggle away from him. Without any warning, his black boot slammed into her side and she gasped in agony, curling up into a little ball. Mark began to squeeze the trigger when there was a shout and the gun was jerked was Mark's hand by an invisible force. It floated just out of reach, even as Gemma ran forward, to help Dove up from the ground.

Skinner smiled, even though no-one could see it as he pulled the gun out of Mark's reach. With the gun now safely pointing away from Dove, the rest of the League could spring out from their hiding places. At the same time, some of Noir's men burst out from nearby buildings. Gemma pulled Dove to her feet, pushing her back towards Rachel. There was a sudden pressure on stopping her from moving and when she turned her head, she could see Roger holding onto the back of her dress. She didn't even have time to scream before he had pulled her close and covered her mouth with one hand. With the other hand he pulled out a thin sword that flashed in the light. Her brown eyes wide with fear, Gemma allowed herself to be dragged away from the fighting, understanding the threat of the sword.

Confusion regained over the fighting. Mina was forced to stay near the other two girls, using her abilities to protect them from the bullets, though she was unable to strike out in the offensive. Skinner carried on to lead Mark a merry dance, having thrown the gun into the Theme's long ago. Mark threw punches wildly, but unlucky for Skinner, manged to hit him a few times. The rest of the League fought Roger's lackeys.

Slowly but surly the men on Roger's side began to fade away and Mina herded the two girls up the ramp and to safety. At the far end of the dock, Roger threw Gemma away from him and raised his sword. She stared back, frozen in fear, her gaze fixed on his cold eyes. She didn't know what she was looking for – mercy, compassion perhaps? What ever it was, she couldn't see it and almost against her will, her eyes closed in surrender. Even with her eyes closed she could imagine the sword blade as it fell towards, she could hear it as it cut through the air.

The pain never happened. Instead she found herself knocked aside, out of the path of the weapon. Gemma's eyes opened in surprise, just as a male voice cried out in pain. Tom lay a few meters away from her, clutching his left leg, blood seeping out from under his fingers. Roger stood frozen in shock, his blade held limply in his hands, blood – Tom's blood – dripping off it. In a flash, Gemma realized that Agent Sawyer must have knocked her out of the way and in the process got hit by the sword in the leg. Already the frozen look was fading from Roger's body.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Tom pulled out one of his Colt's and aimed it at Roger. At the same time Mina ran down the ramp, Rachel and Dove safely on board. Sensing that he had lost this battle, Roger turned and ran, vanishing into the shadows. Tom panted loudly, slowly lowering his Colt and shut his eyes, trying to block out the pain.

_:::_

Night had fallen over America and the _Nautilus._ In the infirmary, Tom slept peacefully, aided by drugs. His left leg lay on top of the blankets, the sword wound covered by clean white bandages. Dr. Jekyll had remained in the room as well, watching him carefully, in case he should have some negative reaction to the drugs.

Slowly though, sleep had crept over the man and twice his head had bowed before jerking up again. Yawning slightly, Jekyll rubbed at his eyes. It was unlikely now, that Tom would have a negative reaction but Jekyll wanted to stay with him the whole night just to make sure he was alright. A gloved hand appeared on Jekyll's shoulder and he gave a slight yelp of surprise. Mina raised an eyebrow at his behavior.

"Dr. Jekyll. I thought I could stay with Agent Sawyer for the rest of the night. You do not seem to have been sleeping well lately." She said softly, yet with an edge. Jekyll blinked then nodded slowly, silently agreeing with her. He stood up, masking another yawn with his hand.

"Very well Mrs. Harker. Good night." He said.

"Good night Doctor." Mina replied, nodding her head at him as he turned and left the room. Mina moved quietly over to the bed that held Agent Sawyer and stared down at him for a few, long, minutes, pity on her face. This mission was hardest on him, even before the injury. She sighed, placing her hand on his forehead and carefully brushing some strands of hair away from his face.

At the entrance to the infirmary one of the girls stood frozen, mostly hidden by the wall, so that only part of her face was visible to anyone in the infirmary, her hair falling loosely around her. Her eyes narrowed in anger as she watched Mina touch Tom – how dare that whore touch _her_ Tom. Only she had to touch him when he was asleep, because of course her Tom wouldn't have let the whore touch him normally. She snorted lightly and turned, heading back the way she had come, mentally smoothing the anger away from her face. The young American had only got a few meters before the sailor assigned to looking after her caught up.

"There you are." He panted. The girl mentally sneered at him, at the thought that such a pathetic little bug was supposed to control her, but on the outside she gave him a shy smile and blushed, heading back to her cabin, the man following a respectable few steps behind her.

Inside the infirmary Mina turned to stare at the open door, a frown crinkling her face. Mina could have sworn that she had smelt one of the American girls, but the scent was getting fainter and fainter and the female vampire finally decided she must have made a mistake. It had been a long day after all and the girl's scents were all over the ship.

A short distance away, the girl smiled again at the sailor before vanishing into her cabin. Inside, her emotions finally broke free and she shook with the sheer rage of it. The young woman crossed the room in three steps and pulled open a draw, removing the photo of Mina Harker. She placed it on the wooden desk and bent over the photo, a low laugh escaping from her lips. It had a breathless quality to it, as if the girl had been running a great distance. There was the faint sound of rustling, as if paper was being brushed against more paper. A few seconds passed and then the smell of burning filling her nostrils. The photo on the desk began to the blacken as the flames bit into it, turning it into ash. The girl watched it burn, her fists clenched.

Mrs. Wilhelmina Harker would pay...

_**TBC...**_

Sethoz


End file.
